Mount Auburn Church 200th Anniversary

Event: 200th Anniversary Homecoming, September 13, 2026

The Challenge

In 2026, Mount Auburn Church celebrated a remarkable milestone: 200 years of ministry and community in Johnson County, Indiana.

The church's 200th Anniversary Committee had been planning a special homecoming celebration, bringing together current members, former attendees, and guests to recognize the church's history.

With the event planned, the next challenge was getting the word out, encouraging people to RSVP, and making sure the celebration felt special from the moment guests arrived.

Mount Auburn had previously experienced challenges getting people to register for events online. Higgens Media was tasked with developing a communications strategy that would make registration easier, promote the celebration, and create materials that commemorated the occasion.

Our Approach

Making It Easy to RSVP

We began by creating a dedicated landing page where guests could learn about the homecoming and RSVP online.

Rather than relying on a single communications channel, we developed a coordinated approach that included mailed postcards to people with connections to the church, a Facebook event, church newsletter promotions, and dedicated email campaigns.

One particularly effective decision was sending a standalone email focused entirely on the homecoming RSVP.

The event had already been promoted in the church's regular email newsletter, but with so many activities and announcements competing for attention, we wanted to give the homecoming its own space.

The focused email campaign generated a strong response, and the majority of RSVPs ultimately came through the dedicated online registration page.

For a church that had previously struggled with online event sign-ups, that was an encouraging result.

Creating a Welcoming Experience

As homecoming approached, Higgens Media designed and coordinated the production of banners, feather flags, and building signage to promote the anniversary.

The materials helped announce the celebration while making the church more welcoming and easier to navigate.

Because Mount Auburn's main Sunday entrances aren't necessarily where first-time visitors might expect them to be, we placed welcome flags near the entrances to help people find their way.

We also made sure the new church logo was consistently incorporated into the materials.

Some signage was created specifically for the anniversary, while other pieces, including the welcome flags, were designed to remain useful long after the celebration ended.

Creating Something Guests Could Take Home

A 200th anniversary deserves more than a typical Sunday bulletin.

Working alongside the anniversary committee, Higgens Media developed and sourced a collection of commemorative materials that reflected the church's history and identity.

We created a special bulletin for the celebration, arranged guest sign-in books and accompanying instructions, and produced commemorative magnets that complemented the anniversary cake's historic imagery.

We also designed a sticker sheet featuring meaningful elements of Mount Auburn's history, including its stained glass window, historic bell, cross, and church building.

For younger guests, we sourced custom rubber ducks featuring the Mount Auburn Kids logo, another identity developed by Higgens Media.

Several of these items continued serving a purpose after homecoming. The welcome flags remained useful for Sunday services, while the rubber ducks became gifts for first-time visitors and prizes at future church events.

Capturing the Day

On September 13, 2026, Mount Auburn gathered for its special homecoming worship service.

Higgens Media documented the celebration through photography and video, capturing the people, music, traditions, and historic details that made the occasion meaningful.

The images provided the church with a visual record of the milestone while giving us materials to continue telling the story after the event.

Keeping the Story Going After the Celebration

For many organizations, event promotion ends when the event is over. We saw an opportunity to extend the impact of Mount Auburn's 200th anniversary.

Following homecoming, Higgens Media prepared a press release and provided event photography to local media.

We also helped connect journalists with Mount Auburn's pastor and church leadership so they could share the history and significance of the celebration.

The Daily Journal, which serves Johnson County, followed up with interviews and published a front-page story about Mount Auburn's anniversary.

The coverage highlighted the church's history and celebration while also introducing readers to additional events and activities taking place at Mount Auburn.

Beyond the immediate publicity, the article became part of the historical record of a church celebrating two centuries of service to its community.

The Results

The anniversary campaign helped Mount Auburn reach people through multiple channels, with the majority of guests who RSVP'd choosing the dedicated online registration page.

The church welcomed attendees to a celebration supported by coordinated signage, commemorative materials, photography, and video.

Several of the creative materials developed for homecoming continued to serve the church afterward, supporting Sunday hospitality, first-time visitors, and community events.

The celebration also received front-page coverage in the Daily Journal, extending its reach beyond those who attended and helping preserve the milestone as part of the community's history.

For Higgens Media, the project demonstrated the value of looking at an event as more than a single day. From the first invitation to the final newspaper story, thoughtful communications helped the church welcome its community, celebrate its history, and share that history with others.

Project Highlights

• Online Registration: A dedicated RSVP landing page that accounted for the majority of event registrations.

• Coordinated Event Marketing: Direct mail, Facebook event promotion, newsletters, and dedicated email campaigns.

• Environmental Graphics: Anniversary banners, building signage, and reusable welcome flags.

• Commemorative Materials: Special bulletins, magnets, sticker sheets, guest books, and branded gifts.

• Event Photography & Video: Documented the anniversary celebration for church communications and historical preservation.

• Public Relations: Post-event press release and photography contributed to front-page coverage in the Daily Journal.

• Long-Term Value: Several promotional materials continued to support church hospitality and later events.

Services provided: Event Marketing · Email Marketing · Direct Mail · Landing Page Development · Graphic Design · Print Production Coordination · Event Photography · Video Production · Public Relations